International collaboration seen as key to commercial space tourism in Japan

In recent years, Japanese companies have been working to make commercial space travel a possibility in the country. However, experts say this may not be realistic without the collaboration of international ventures to make space tourism a reality in Japan.

Japanese aerospace startup Innovative Space Carrier (ISC) announced earlier this week that it would be partnering with Nippon Travel Agency to offer travel packages to space as early as in the 2040s.

The program, which will be rolled out in three stages, also includes plans such as traveling between Japan and the U.S. in 60 minutes via outer space. The company will begin taking applications for the tour sometime during the next fiscal year.